Parking lots Slow, look around, park nose first
In a parking lot, drive at a safe speed with the car under control, and keep looking all around: ahead and behind, left and right. Yield to vehicles, bicyclists and people on foot when that is needed for safety.
DMV DL 955 "Parking Lot Driving" · CVC 22350 (basic speed law)How fast should you drive in a parking lot in California?
Slowly: at a safe speed, with the car under control. The DMV drive test scores your speed and your traffic checks in the parking lot (DL 955).
Why this rule exists
In a parking lot, cars back out of spaces and people walk between the cars, from every side. At a low speed you can stop for whatever appears.
Step by step on the road
- Drive slowly through the lot, with your foot ready over the brake.
- Keep looking all around: ahead and behind, to the left and right.
- Watch for backup lights: a car may back out of a space in front of you.
- Let people walking between the cars cross before you.
- Signal before you turn into a space, keep well away from the parked cars so you have room to turn, and stop straight between the lines.
Common mistakes
- Driving through the lot at street speed.
- Looking only at the empty spaces instead of at the people and cars around you.
- Not stopping for someone who steps out between parked cars.
On the DMV drive test
The DL 32 score sheet has a Parking Lot Driving section, marked for traffic check and speed. DL 955 asks you to watch vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians ahead of and behind you and to the left and right, to turn your head toward them when necessary, to yield when that is needed for safety, and to drive at a safe speed with the car under control. Any action that makes another driver or a pedestrian take evasive action is a critical driving error.
Based on the DMV’s Driving Test Criteria (DL 955) and its score sheet (DL 32). How the drive test works ›Questions people ask
Is parking lot driving on the California drive test?
Yes. The DMV score sheet (DL 32) has a Parking Lot Driving section, scored for traffic check and speed.
Do you have to yield to pedestrians in a parking lot?
Yes, when that is needed for safety. The DMV test criteria (DL 955) ask you to yield to vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians in the lot.
Where should you look when driving in a parking lot?
All around: ahead and behind, to the left and right. Turn your head toward drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians when necessary (DL 955).
Test yourself
Kees' three questions on this rule, the “Did you know?” facts and his tip come with the drive, in Voorrah! Pro.
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